Background

Sauna bathing has long been associated with improved cardiovascular health in observational studies, particularly in Finnish populations. However, it has remained unclear whether adding sauna bathing to a structured exercise program provides additional cardiovascular benefits beyond exercise alone. Researchers designed a randomized controlled trial to determine whether post-exercise sauna sessions could further improve blood pressure, aerobic fitness, arterial stiffness, and other cardiovascular risk factors in sedentary adults with elevated cardiovascular risk.

Methods

• Study Design: Multi-arm randomized controlled trial
• Participants: 47 sedentary adults (mean age 49 ± 9 years) with at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor.
• Groups:
  • Exercise + Sauna (EXS): Guideline-based exercise followed by a 15-minute sauna session after each workout.
  • Exercise Only (EXE): Same exercise program without sauna.
  • Control (CON): No intervention.
• Duration: 8 weeks.
• Primary Outcomes:
  • Blood pressure
  • Cardiorespiratory fitness (VO₂peak)
• Secondary Outcomes:
  • Arterial stiffness
  • Cholesterol
  • Body fat percentage
  • Resting heart rate.

Key Findings

1. Cardiorespiratory Fitness Improved Significantly

• The exercise-only group improved VO₂peak by 6.2 mL/kg/min compared with the control group.
• The exercise-plus-sauna group improved VO₂peak by 2.7 mL/kg/min compared with controls.

2. Blood Pressure Changes Were Modest

• Neither exercise alone nor exercise combined with sauna produced statistically significant improvements in resting blood pressure compared with the control group.

3. Body Composition Improved

• Participants performing regular exercise reduced body fat compared with controls.
• Adding sauna did not significantly enhance these improvements beyond exercise alone.

4. Sauna Was Safe but Offered Limited Additional Benefit

• The addition of a 15-minute sauna session after exercise was well tolerated.
• Researchers concluded that the cardiovascular improvements observed were primarily attributable to exercise rather than sauna exposure.

Direct Quotes

• “Compared with the control group, the exercise-only group increased cardiorespiratory fitness by 6.2 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹ (95% CI, 4.2 to 8.3).”
• “There were no differences in blood pressure between the exercise-plus-sauna and exercise-only groups after the 8-week intervention.”

Conclusion

This randomized controlled trial demonstrates that regular exercise remains the primary driver of improvements in cardiovascular fitness among sedentary adults with cardiovascular risk factors. While post-exercise sauna bathing was safe and feasible, it did not significantly enhance blood pressure, body composition, or aerobic fitness beyond the benefits achieved through exercise alone. These findings emphasize that sauna bathing should be viewed as a complementary wellness practice rather than a replacement for regular physical activity.

Full Citation

Lee, E., Ketelhut, S., Wiklund, P., et al. (2022). Effects of regular sauna bathing in conjunction with exercise on cardiovascular function: A multi-arm randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Physiology–Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 323(2), R155–R166. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00080.2022

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